SV press officer - Roswitha Dannenberg

The German Shepherd

The German Shepherd was bred systematically after the foundation of our association in 1899. On 22 April 1899, Captain Max von Stephanitz presented his dog “Horand von Grafrath” at a dog show in Karlsruhe.

From that date, the German Shepherd began its journey to become the most popular breed in the world. Today, about 15.000 puppies are registered in the SV stud book. In order to reach the breeding goal, a Breeding Standard was developed which refers to the anatomical appearance as well as to character traits.

King of the decathletes

Hereby, the association is pursuing the goal to breed a working dog which possesses high recognition and acceptance as helper and human’s best friend nationally and internationally. As a kind of “king of the decathletes”, the German Shepherd is suitable especially as service dog for authorities, as rescue dog, herding dog, guarding dog, guide dog, assistance dog and family dog. Shepherd sport as rec and competitive sport exists in the following areas: working dog training, breeding shows, competitive herding, agility and rescue dog sport.

Dogs need sufficient exercise in order to stay healthy and also for the dog handlers, fitness is improved through their hobby of shepherd dog sport. Both human and dog can face sportive challenges together as a team and can compete against others in singular or in team competitions.

In a network of about 2,000 local groups all over Germany, there are breeding and training wardens at your disposal with guidance and resources for all questions of dog upbringing, keeping and training. Further information about the SV can be found on this website.

The SV press office sees the reporting about the main club events as a central point, but also takes cynological questions, as well as aspects of association life and dog keeping in the social context.

The open, trustworthy and reliable cooperation with other media thereby builds the foundation of a constructive and positive public relations work of the German Shepherd Association.